Call to Action: Safer Neighborhood Gun Buyback Act

Gun violence has been on the rise in the United States in recent years, killing more Americans in 2021 than in any other year on record. This epidemic reaches far and wide and impacts the mental, physical, social, and emotional health of the communities that are frequently exposed to violence. On March 3rd, 2023, the Safer Neighborhoods Gun Buyback Act (H.R. 1361) was reintroduced to the House of Representatives to decrease the number of guns on our streets. This legislation would allow the Department of Justice to make grants to state and local governments as well as gun dealers for people to turn their guns in for financial compensation in the form of prepaid cards that cannot be used to purchase another firearm. Gun buybacks are a proven method of gun violence prevention with the objective of decreasing the number of guns in circulation. Due to their “no questions asked” approach, they can remove both legal and illegal firearms from the community in some capacity. A nationwide gun buyback program has never occurred in the United States, yet data from Australia showed an 80% decrease in gun-related suicides following their national buyback. While this legislation would result in buybacks that are compulsory and on a local scale, it offers communities the opportunity to initiate these buyback programs and take a necessary step in gun violence prevention. This legislation should be supported in order to make an impact on local communities by decreasing the risk of gun violence. The 225th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church stated that “In our country 40,000 people are losing their lives each year to gun violence. Each one of these represents to us the crucifi ed Christ, as do their orphans, their grieving parents and families, as do the nearly 100,000 who are injured and the countless others who are traumatized by gun violence through suicides, murders, family violence and accidents. In faithfulness to the Prince of Peace, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) stands with, grieves with and calls for change alongside the victims of our uniquely American epidemic of gun violence” With all this in mind, we ask that you support the Safer Neighborhoods Gun Buyback Act of 2023 by both increasing recognition and holding members of Congress accountable. The PCUSA’s gun violence policy is available here and can be shared within your circles and congregations to raise awareness about the issue of gun violence. You can also reach out to your representatives and ask them to support the bill.

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Presbyterian Justice & Peace - Yearning for the winds of change

(Photo by Katarzyna Kos via Unsplash) As the hot summer months continue, I am often reminded of the brief and sustaining relief of a breeze. Our world is growing ever warmer as the climate crisis rages and these cool summer breezes are becoming more and more rare, and yet they are so divine. A breeze cuts through the thickness of the humid air, making its way to us so that we may feel its presence, its nurturing, its way of holding memory, and its pleasure.

More than ever, we need a breeze in a world so thick with hatred, so hot with hostility toward difference, so consuming with the evils of white supremacy and racism, so blistering with queerphobia and transphobia, so obsessed with stealing joy. This type of breeze, this Spirit, may seem so few and far between; however, they exist. They swirl in places that offer action rather than egocentric words with no substance. They blow in the spaces where people live in their joy and their authenticity.

Sometimes these breezes have to be made like being on the porch with a big ole church fan. Action causes these breezes to build and build, overcoming the forces that tell us, "We are not enough." So may we take time in our lives to feel the breeze of the Divine. May we take care of our Earth and all that is within her. May our words be more than the breath it takes to speak them. And may you find joy, love and pleasure in the wind, in the coolness of the breeze and the One who created us to be who we truly are. Amen.    Sincerely, Rev. Lee Catoe, Editor of Unbound

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Spreading the Vision of Matthew 25 across the Church

The PC(USA) believes that we are called to serve Jesus by contributing to the well-being of the most vulnerable in all societies – rural and urban, small and large, young and not-so-young. From affordable housing to community gardens to equitable educational and employment opportunities to healing from addiction and mental illness to enacting policy change – there is not just one way to be a part of the Matthew 25 movement.

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Presbyterian Mission Agency, 100 Witherspoon Street, Lousiville, KY

EarthBeat Weekly: Find politics and science coverage at EarthBeat

Find politics and science coverage at EarthBeat Your weekly newsletter about faith and climate change July 28, 2023 DTE Energy's coal-fired Monroe Power Plant, operating on the shores of Lake Erie, is scheduled to retire in 2032. It is viewed here from Sterling State Park, in Monroe, Michigan, in November 2021. (Amy Ketner) When we were redesigning the EarthBeat website last year, one of the tasks was to determine our sections. Still new in my role as NCR environment editor, I consulted colleagues; one advised me to think about what I would want a new reader to know about EarthBeat. That led to choosing faith, science, politics and justice as the main EarthBeat website sections. It's important to me that readers know EarthBeat takes an intersectional approach to our reporting — highlighting what Pope Francis refers to as integral ecology, and how intricately everything is interconnected. Our headlines this week show well why these sections have a home at EarthBeat. In the politics section this week, NCR environment correspondent Brian Roewe reported how houses of worship and other faith-based organizations can take advantage of direct pay provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act to complete clean energy projects on their properties. The information was shared during a webinar hosted by Interfaith Power & Light. "Faith organizations are uniquely positioned to get the word out about the stakes of this moment, and the tools that we have at our disposal to meet it," said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to webinar participants. Read more: 'Game changer': Energy secretary touts tax incentives to power faith communities with renewables And freelance reporter Amy Ketner covered an event in Monroe, Michigan, at the motherhouse of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary where Catholics joined with other local leaders, including a pulmonologist, to advocate support of EPA pollution limits, highlighting especially how a local power plant has adversely affected the health of the surrounding community. Read more: Michigan event backs EPA pollution limits, decries health impacts of systemic racism And in the science section, Catholic scientist Carlos Martinez said he hears the Earth's cry through his research in the Caribbean assessing future changes in rainfall, saying it is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change impacts due to losses in biodiversity from warmer temperatures, and increases in flash flooding, droughts and hurricane activity.  Martinez founded the American Meteorological Society's Committee on Spirituality, Multifaith Outreach, and Science (COSMOS) to bring together scientists, faith leaders, government agencies and Indigenous knowledge holders to promote a multidimensional approach to environmental stewardship. Read more: American Meteorological Society's multifaith project responds to Earth's cry You can navigate through each of EarthBeat's sections individually, or see a full list of recent stories here. This photo taken with a drone shows portions of a Norfolk Southern freight train that derailed Feb. 3, 2023, in East Palestine, Ohio, still on fire at midday the next day. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar) What else is new on EarthBeat: East Palestine church hosts chemical exposure study in wake of train disaster The town's First United Presbyterian Church has offered its building as an on-site hub to a team of researchers from the University of Kentucky. Rev. Fritz Nelson, First United Presbyterian's pastor, said hosting the scientists is a way for the church to address both the community's physical and spiritual needs, reported Kathryn Post for Religion News Service. Billions of federal dollars available for churches and nonprofits to go green Churches have a moral obligation to reduce their carbon footprint and to encourage climate justice for marginalized communities. If there is federal money to help in this effort, they should take advantage of it, said Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese in a column for Religion News Service. Conference on congregations' climate 'resilience' turns to focus on climate justice People of faith must advocate for ecological, economic and ecumenical solutions in order to save "people and planet" from death by the declining climate, said speakers at the "Resilience for Congregations" conference, co-sponsored by Texas Interfaith Power & Light and the City of Dallas Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability, reported Cynthia B. Astle for United Methodist Insight. This story was republished on EarthBeat as part of the Covering Climate Now journalism collaboration. What's happening in other climate news: Pope urges world leaders to do more to tackle climate change —Keith Weir for Reuters Climate migrants find a home in the Great Lakes Region —Kristen Pope for Yale Climate Connections A Catastrophic Flood on California’s Central Coast Has Plunged Already Marginalized Indigenous Farmworkers Into Crisis —Liza Gross for Inside Climate News In logging country, a community protects its woods as an act of resilience —Grant Stringer for High Country News It hit 120 degrees in this California town. For the homeless, 'it's a miserable life out here' —Ruben Vives and Akiya Dillon for the Los Angeles times Final Beat: On July 27, EarthBeat received an honorable mention in the "Organization" category of the Catholic Climate Covenant's first ever "U.S. Laudato Si' Champions Awards."  The judges said:  National Catholic Reporter's EarthBeat, featuring award-winning stories by environmental correspondent Brian Roewe, is a leader in Catholic press reporting on Laudato Si' and creation care activities. EarthBeat plays a vital role in connecting faith, sustainability, climate change, politics, creation care, and science within the U.S. Catholic Church and nation.  Through their comprehensive coverage, EarthBeat sheds light on a wide range of significant Laudato Si'/creation care programs and projects that impact our world and our Church. By amplifying the critical voices of those involved in these initiatives, EarthBeat ensures that their stories and efforts do not become silenced.  National Catholic Reporter's EarthBeat section, under the leadership of editor Stephanie Clary, serves as an invaluable resource for the Catholic community and beyond. Their dedication to reporting on Laudato Si' and creation care not only informs and educates but also inspires individuals and organizations to take action in addressing the urgent environmental challenges we face. The U.S. Laudato Si' Champion Honorable Mention recognizes EarthBeat's critical contributions in promoting environmental stewardship and raising awareness of the interconnectedness between faith and sustainability. Thank you and congratulations to all who contribute to EarthBeat's success! Thanks for reading EarthBeat! Stephanie Clary Environment Editor National Catholic Reporter sclary@ncronline.org Featured Advertisers   Looking to Hire? Offering Retreats? 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